Most homes here don’t have the basement you see in sump pump videos. Local pumps sit under hillside houses, at the bottom of sloped driveways and in below-grade garages, and they only get a real test when a winter storm hits. Target Plumbers repairs and replaces those pumps, fixes the float switches and check valves that usually fail first, and adds battery backups and high-water alarms.
Water already inside the house? Emergency plumbing covers flooding outside business hours.
| Location | What it moves | What usually goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Under a hillside house or in a crawlspace | Ground water and seepage collected by subsoil drains | Silt in the pit wears the pump and jams the float; long stretches without running, then a storm |
| Bottom of a sloped driveway or in a below-grade garage | Rain water from the driveway drain | Leaves and grit clog the intake; one pump can’t keep up in a heavy storm |
| Basement or subterranean room | Ground water around the foundation | Failed check valve sends water back into the pit; pump cycles until it burns out |
| Bathroom, laundry or ADU below the sewer line | Sewage, not rain water: this is a sewage ejector, a different pump | Wipes and grease jam the pump; alarm sounds or drains back up |
A lot of “dead” pumps only need a switch or a valve. This is how we decide:
| What you notice | Likely cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pit is full, pump silent | Stuck or failed float switch, tripped GFCI or breaker, burned-out motor | Free or replace the switch; replace the pump if the motor is gone |
| Pump hums but no water moves | Debris jammed in the impeller or intake, or a clogged discharge line | Clean the pit and intake, clear the line; replace if the impeller is damaged |
| Runs nonstop | Float stuck “on”, pump too small for the inflow, or a broken discharge pipe | Switch repair, or a larger pump sized to the inflow |
| Switches on and off every few seconds | Failed check valve letting pumped water fall back into the pit, or a float set too tight | Replace the check valve; reset the float range |
| Grinding, rattling or a burning smell | Worn bearings or a motor overheating | Replace the pump |
| Rust, cracked housing, or the pump was under water for days | End of service life | Replace the pump and check valve together |
Our rule of thumb: if the motor is sound, we fix the part. If the motor is failing, we replace the pump, because a new switch on a worn motor just moves the failure to the next storm.
The California Plumbing Code (section 710.4) requires a pump’s discharge line to be pressure-rated pipe with an accessible check valve and a gate or ball valve, the shut-off valve sitting on the discharge side of the check valve. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety adds these points in its plan-check sheet for sewage ejectors and sump pumps (LADBS PC/MECH/Corr.Lst.031):
New or redesigned systems go through LADBS plan check. If your existing setup is short of these rules, we tell you at the quote and price the fix separately.
New pump plus backup at once? 0% financing for up to 48 months is available, subject to approval.
The pump itself is only part of it. Labor depends on access to the pit, the lift height, and whether the check valve and discharge pipe also need replacing. A pump in an open garage pit costs less to swap than one in a tight crawlspace. We give you a written price after seeing the pit.
Often, yes. A stuck float, a failed switch or a bad check valve can be replaced on its own. If the motor is overheating, grinding or won’t start with a good switch, replacement is the better spend.
The float may be stuck in the “on” position, the pump may be too small for the water coming in, or the discharge pipe may be broken so water never leaves. A pump that runs nonstop burns out quickly, so have it checked.
It depends on how often it runs and what’s in the water. A pump that clears silt every storm wears out faster than one that runs a few times a year. Test it before each rainy season by filling the pit with a bucket of water.
A like-for-like swap is possible for a handy owner, but a wrong-sized pump, a missing check valve or a discharge line into the wrong drain causes the next failure. In Los Angeles the discharge line has code requirements of its own.
For ground water and rain water, plan on no. LADBS sends subsoil drain sumps to the city storm drain and street-discharging pumps through a gravity pipe on your property. Ask before tying a sump line into a sewer cleanout.
Policies differ. Damage from a pump failure or water backup is often covered only with a separate endorsement. Check with your insurer; we can give you a written note of what failed and why.
No. A sump pump moves ground water or rain water. A sewage ejector lifts waste from a toilet, shower or laundry that sits below the sewer line, and it uses a sealed basin and its own vent.
Book through (844) 941-2727; your visit comes from the nearest of our six offices:
Tell us where the pump is, what it’s doing (silent, humming, running nonstop, cycling) and whether water is rising now. We’ll call back with a time.